Hostile Waters
by leiasky
Summary: seaQuest is ordered into hostile Montagnard waters when reports of illegal weapons testing reaches the UEO. First Season Characters and pairings.
1. Teaser

**Synopsis**: seaQuest is ordered into hostile Montagnard waters when reports of illegal weapons testing reaches the UEO.

**Notes**: Story uses first season characters. It's written like an episode. I hope it feels like one when reading.

Mucho thanks to **mal4prez** for the beta. It really does help to have a wave propagation specialist beta a fic like this. Her comments when beta'ing added a bit more of a realistic vs. a Hollywood spin to this story.

As always, comments, both negative and/or positive are welcome. I don't begin to know everything about the seaQuest universe but I hope I am at least somewhat successful in my attempt make this story as believable as possible.

**Hostile Waters**

**Teaser**

Nathan Bridger wiped his forehead on his towel and continued lifting the ball shaped weights. He spent little time in seaQuest's gym, preferring his own exercise regime, in the form of sit-ups and push-ups, in the privacy of his own cabin. But at the moment he felt the need to exert a bit more energy than those two exercises provided.

Arguments over semantics always raised his blood pressure, and today had been no exception. A small argument with his chief medical officer over her dislike of the military had sent him straight to the gym after his shift. She could be the most infuriating woman; beautiful and fiery, but infuriating nonetheless.

His musings were interrupted by the voices of his top two commanders as they entered the room. Jonathan Ford and Katie Hitchcock were discussing the lack of a strong military show of force in recent months.

Nathan chuckled to himself. How any man stayed sane with one very vocal member of his crew despising the military and another wanting to demonstrate the impressive power the seaQuest commanded, he would probably never guess. He was pretty good at mediation, and Nathan knew that's exactly why he'd been selected to captain the UEO's most powerful flagship.

Nathan returned the weights to the bench and moved to the stair-master, all the while listening to Ford's complaint. "SeaQuest has state-of-the-art battle systems. We should be using them to keep hostile Confederations from taking advantage of those without the means to defend themselves."

The two walked into the gym, completely oblivious to the captain.

"We don't need to go looking for trouble, Jonathan," Hitchcock said as she dropped her towel over a nearby chair.

"It always manages to find us," Nathan said as he continued to work the up and down motion of the steps.

"Oh, Captain. We didn't see you."

Nathan couldn't help but smile at Ford's discomfort. "I noticed."

"I'm sorry if –

Nathan held up a hand. "It's quite all right, Commander. I already know how you feel."

"We rarely see you here, sir." Hitchcock moved to the weights, selected two, then stood on the mat.

Nathan grinned at Hitchcock's effort to diffuse a situation that had no chance of growing into an argument.

"I needed a change."

"Doctor Westphalen again, huh?"

Nathan wanted to wipe the smile off Ford's face. He thought it likely that the crew was taking bets on who would win their many arguments.

Nathan shook his head and heaved a heavy sigh. "She knows I'm on her side – in most things," he clarified when he noticed Ford's eyes narrow. "But she still has to argue anyway."

"In a profession, and on this boat, sir," Hitchcock began, "that is largely dominated by men, I'm sure the doctor just wanted to make sure her opinion was heard."

Nathan exchanged a look with Ford. It wasn't surprising that Hitchcock would side with the doctor, but she also had a very valid point. "Oh it was heard. It was most definitely heard."

Hitchcock chuckled. "You know, you two fight like an old married couple."

Nathan's eyes widened. He hadn't really thought about it. He and Carol had never had such vitriolic discussions. But Carol had been a calm, quiet lady as well. Very different from Kristin Westphalen. Nathan pursed his lips and studied the controls of his exercise machine very carefully. "I don't know what you mean."

"What was she complaining about this time?" Ford asked and Nathan was grateful for the subject change – if only slightly.

"Using military resources to investigate the damage to the reef they've been taking samples from for the last few days."

Ford shrugged and stepped onto the weight lift. "Well, you did design this as a military vessel. It was only after the incident at the Livingston Trench that seaQuest was given to the UEO and re-fitted to carry a science contingent."

Nathan grinned knowingly at Hitchcock. "Yes and as we all know there were hundreds of modifications to my design."

He could see Hitchcock's pale cheeks flush. She'd been embarrassed over her snide remarks to him on that very subject when he'd just been touring the seaQuest.

A chime sang through the room before O'Neill's face popped onto the forward screen. "Captain, there's a call coming in for you."

"Pipe it through, Lieutenant." Nathan stepped off the machine and wiped his face on the towel around his neck.

"Secure link, sir."

"Pipe it through to my quarters. I'll be right there."

* * *

Nathan shut the door and leaned over the table just as the vid-screen popped open in front of him.

"Why Bill," Nathan drawled with a bit of humor and a bit of longsuffering annoyance. The Secretary General of the UEO only called when there was some kind of emergency he wanted the seaQuest and its crew to handle. "So good to see you."

William Noyce, an old Academy buddy of Nathan's, scowled at his friend. "And you, Nathan. How's the old girl treating you?"

Nathan grinned. He knew Bill so well he could see right through the attempt at small talk. "Fine. Fine. What's the mission?"

Noyce laughed. "Leave it to you to dispense with the pleasantries."

Nathan shrugged. "I was in the middle of a workout. You interrupted me." Nathan knew his friend would see through the innocent look he'd forced onto his face. But it was all part of the game the two of them tended to play.

Noyce's expression turned serious. "This one's important, Nathan."

"Aren't they all?"

"We've had reports of illegal weapon testing in a research lab submerged 7,000 feet below sea level."

"What kind of weapons?"

"Nuclear."

Nathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "Let me guess, the Confederation isn't a member of the UEO?"

"That's the kicker. It is."

"Really?"

"The Montagnard Confederation."

Nathan groaned. He'd had dealings with them before – not all of them pleasant.

"As you well know, every Confederation granted admittance into the UEO must sign an agreement to disarm all nuclear weapons."

"And let me guess," Nathan began. He may be a scientist, but he'd also spent 30 years in the military. It was all too easy. "They smiled to your face as they signed that agreement and then continued their testing behind your back."

"Our back," Noyce corrected and Nathan smiled. He was right, of course, Nathan was a Captain in the UEO Navy now.

"What do you want us to do about it?"

"Sail over there and politely demand that they turn over control of the facility to you. I'm sending reinforcements, but seaQuest is the fastest boat under or above the sea. You'll get there hours before anyone else."

Nathan sighed. "You expect they'll put up a fight?"

Noyce nodded curtly. "As of right now you're on tactical military alert, Captain."

The vid-screen flicked off and Nathan shook his head.

It looked like Commander Ford was about to get his wish.

TBC


	2. Act 1

**Hostile Waters**

**Act I**

Nathan marched down the hallway and into the mag-lev transport system that would take him to the bridge. He could, and had on occasion, walked the entire length of the thousand foot boat, but today he really didn't have the time.

Behind him hurried doctor Westphalen, her entire demeanor one of heightened curiosity.

"What's going on, Nathan?"

"You're not going to like it." But lately, when did she ever? And he really couldn't blame her that much. SeaQuest was a science vessel as much as a military one. And there'd been very little science happening as of late that didn't involve military interference.

Westphalen cocked her head and scowled. "Military maneuvers again?"

For some reason he found the look on her face amusing. Sometimes the only way to deal with the woman was to laugh at her abhorrent reaction to things.

"They're not orders I'm going to take great pleasure in following."

The mag-lev doors opened and the two hurried out. A few steps later, they walked onto the bridge. Westphalen's colleague Doctor Joshua Levin stood beside Lucas at the bridge's moon pool. Commander Ford, Katherine Hitchcock, and Manilow Crocker turned at his entrance.

"Mr. O'Neill. Bring up Secretary General Noyce's transmission on the forward screen."

"Aye, sir."

Nathan glanced around at his bridge crew. They were all looking at him for direction, instruction. "As of right now, we are on tactical military alert." Nathan turned to Ford. "I want security doubled on the missile room and constant rotation at weapons control. I don't want any itchy trigger fingers."

"Yes, sir."

"Helm, I want full speed and maximum depth. I don't want to draw any attention. The deeper we are, the less likely we'll be noticed."

Helm Chief Shan nodded crisply and turned to his crew to relay the order.

"Mr. Ortiz, I want WSKR's at maximum range. I want to know of anything bearing down on us."

"Yes, sir."

"Nathan, what's going on?" Kristin asked from the vicinity of his shoulder.

"We've received word that the Montagnard Confederation has been building and testing an arsenal of nuclear weapons in an undersea facility off their coastline."

"Not far off their coastline, by the looks of it," Katherine Hitchcock said, her eyes scanning the forward vid-screen.

"Another attempt to keep the UEO in the dark about their activities," Nathan said.

Ford nodded in understanding. "Since it's within 12 miles of their border and UEO vessels are not permitted within that range."

"Exactly." Nathan turned to Doctor Westphalen. "The call that the UEO received indicated there may be some injured at the facility."

"I'll have my team standing by." Kristin motioned for doctor Levin to join her and the two hurried off the bridge.

Nathan waved Lucas over from where the teen leaned against the moon pool. "I want to communicate with the person who sent that distress call. Find 'em."

Lucas nodded and then hurried over and took control of O'Neil's console. The Communication's officer simply slid to the side and continued with his duties.

The captain turned back toward helm control. "Distance to the facility?"

"We're close, sir," Helm chief Shan answered quickly. "Two hours at maximum speed."

"Good." He turned to Ford. "I guess you're getting your wish, huh?"

Ford grimaced. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

Nathan chuckled. "It never is, Commander. It never is."

* * *

Nathan walked through the corridor toward med bay, his PAL communicator firmly in his hand. He felt comfortable leaving the bridge even though they were only a little over an hour out from their destination. Ford would call if he was needed. He wanted to make sure, and that required a visual check, that his CMO was ready for an unknown amount of patients.

"I want plasma, saline and iodide injections, here. Radiac meters on you at all times."

Nathan stopped outside the hatch and smiled. Just as he wouldn't want his chief medical officer interrupting when he was giving orders to his team, so he wouldn't do the same. He waited, impressed with Westphalen's thorough communication

"We don't know what to expect, but I want to be prepared." He watched the back of her head drop sharply. "Dismissed."

Nathan stepped into the room just as she turned around. "Well done."

She turned, her demeanor professional. It was rare to see just this side of his CMO. But he supposed this situation did call for less familiarity with one another and more business. "Do we have any idea how many people are on that station?"

He shook his head. "None at all."

Kristin picked up a small radiac meter and attached it to her lab coat. "Stupid, stupid people messing around with such dangerous materials. I'm amazed the human race ever made it out of the stone age." She turned to him. "I don't want anyone but my people down here when they're brought in. I don't have enough meters for everyone and I will need to give some to the launch crew."

He wanted to be here when the team returned. "There may be no leaks at all." But he knew it wasn't likely.

Kristin cocked her head and leveled a don't-argue-with-me look on Nathan. "Anyone on the facility who has been exposed will be highly contaminated. They'll need to be quarantined and the less people I have to worry about the better."

Nathan nodded, understanding and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's comforting to know you worry."

Kristin turned toward her table of supplies but he could hear her answer as clear as if she'd whispered it in his ear. "Always."

An unusual but not all that unwelcome feeling of familiarity returned and Nathan cleared his throat to return to their previous conversation. "All you'll be able to do at that point is make them comfortable."

Kristin sighed. "I know."

Nathan reached out and touched her shoulder. "I know you'll do your best."

They exchanged a warm smile until Nathan broke it and turned to head back to the bridge. "Keep me updated," he called over his shoulder, but didn't wait for her response before walking out of the room.

* * *

As soon as the captain returned to the bridge, Communication's officer O'Neill turned to him. "Sir, no one is answering our hails."

Nathan turned to Ortiz, "Any signs of life?"

Sensor Chief Ortiz answered in the affirmative. "There are heat signatures, sir."

"WSKR view on forward screen please." Nathan rested his hand on the back of the captain's chair as Doctor Westphalen appeared on one side, Lucas on his other.

Bridger whirled on the teen. "You're confined to quarters until this is over."

"But I can help," Lucas protested.

"I'm responsible for your safety, Lucas. Humor me." He couldn't have his attention split. And he didn't have time to argue with the kid.

"There's no where on this boat that's safe if we sail through enough rads to fry us."

As if it had been planned, Ortiz offered, "Sensors picking up only trace amounts of harmful radiation."

"The water pressure is probably concentrating it close to the research lab," Kristin offered.

Nathan nodded in agreement. "You're right."

"There's also a ship barely within WSKR range, approaching quickly."

"Battle stations, if you please, Mr. Ford," Nathan snapped. He had been ordered to remain on tactical alert and a ship moving quickly toward them presented an immediate danger. He turned to Ortiz. "What kind?"

"Akula class by the looks, sir," Ortiz confirmed. "Heavily armed."

Nathan turned to his old friend. "Mr. Crocker, take a security detail over to the research lab and find those scientists. Ford, you're with Crocker."

Commander Ford nodded crisply and moved off the bridge with the security chief.

Kristin's eyes widened. "Captain, I respectfully request to ­–"

Nathan cut her off, his voice entirely professional. "No, Doctor. Security will go first. They will bring the injured back to you."

"Nathan, this is highly irregular." Kristin's eyes flamed with anger. "As chief physician, I am required to ­–"

But Nathan didn't let her finish, and he could see by the look in her eyes that she would dress him down for it later. She was far too professional to do it on the bridge in front of his command staff. "Render aid when the captain of this vessel has deemed it safe enough for you to do so."

Westphalen stood her ground. "Nothing is safe about this situation, Captain."

"We will monitor radiation concentration from here and the team will be equipped with radiac meters."

"Captain?" O'Neill called out to get the captain's attention, "we're being ordered to move away from the facility."

Bridger shook his head. "Tell them we are here under UEO orders and we expect them to comply with _our_ request to keep a safe distance."

O'Neill pressed his headset into his ear and relayed the message, the foreign language flowing out of his mouth as if it was his mother tongue.

Ortiz shook his head. "They're still advancing, sir."

"Of course they are," Nathan grumbled. "Flood all tubes and plot me a targeting solution." If they wanted to play hard ball, they'd picked the wrong submarine. Nathan turned to Crocker. "Get your team over there and back before the shooting begins, will ya." To Lucas he simply said, "get to your room."

Crocker marched off the deck, Westphalen bristling visibly at his heels.

"Sir, the Captain of the vessel wants a word."

Nathan straightened. "On forward screen, Mr. O'Neill."

The vid-screen flashed on and an annoyed asian man leaned forward. "You have violated Montagnard Confederation waters and are hereby ordered to turn your vessel around or we will be forced to fire."

Nathan shook his head. "We are investigating a distress call we received from the scientists residing in this facility."

"We are perfectly capable of rendering aid to our people, Captain."

"We have also received reports of illegal nuclear testing being spearheaded from this location." Bridger's tone was hard, unwavering. "As you know that violates the UEO charter that your government signed earlier this year."

The captain of the Montagnard Confederation vessel looked at a sheet of paper in front of him. He read it carefully before returning his attention to Bridger. "You have crossed our 12 mile border and violated the terms of that charter. Move away or we will fire."

Without looking away from the vid-screen, Bridger snapped quick and precise orders. "Weapons control, arm all warheads to full. Target that sub."

The Montagnard captain stared into the vid-screen. "You're bluffing."

Bridger leveled a steely look at the other man. "With the amount of fire-power seaQuest commands at my fingertips, do you think I need to?"

He nodded to O'Neill and the vid-screen flicked off.

"He can't really expect to survive a confrontation with us," Hitchcock said from her console.

"They want us to fire first. Cause an international incident," Bridger said loud enough for the entire bridge to hear.

"Launch is away, Captain," O'Neill called. "ETA, five minutes."

Ortiz whirled in his seat. "Two more subs appearing on long range, Captain."

Bridger set his jaw. "Looks like we're going to have a party." He turned to weapons control. "Plot a targeting solution on those two boats." To O'Neill he said, "Get me a link to the launch."

O'Neill tapped a few keys and nodded. "You're on, sir."

"Crocker, get in, get out, don't dally." He turned toward Hitchcock. "Keep them updated on radiation strength as they get closer."

"The launches aren't protected by a bio-skin like seaQuest is, sir."

"And their suits will only block a moderate amount of radiation," Westphalen said as she walked back onto the bridge. She threw Bridger a dirty look and then spoke again, clearly to the occupants of the launch. "Crocker, you make sure you keep an eye on your radiac meters."

A few moments of silence passed before Crocker's voice crackled over the microphone. "The levels are rising as we get closer to the facility."

"How high?" Westphalen asked, concern edging into her voice.

Hitchcock's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Beyond acceptable limits." Her head spun up, eyes wide. "Captain, the levels are rising too fast."

Bridger moved to Hitchcock's side immediately. "All stop, Crocker, move the launch back."

"Sir –"

"If there are people still alive in there –"

"Sir," O'Neill swiveled in his seat, his eyes narrowed. "I've got a call coming from inside the facility."

"On front screen, Mr. O'Neill."

After a moment, a haggard asian woman appeared. "Thank you for coming, Captain. I'm Stacy Lieu, chief scientist. I sent the distress call."

The picture winked out, went fuzzy and then came back online again.

"They're trying to jam us, sir," O'Neil offered by way of excuse.

Nathan was relieved that there was someone alive in there, but he could only imagine the pain they were, or soon would be, experiencing.

"We're detecting high levels of radiation down there, Stacy," Nathan said, eyes narrowed with concern.

"Some of us made it into a protective chamber."

Doctor Westphalen stepped beside the captain. "What caused the leak? Is it contained to the facility?"

They could see the worried look on the scientist's face. "We tried to contain it as best we could but we didn't have time to remove the warheads."

Nathan exchanged a worried look with Kristin before he returned his attention to the vid-screen. "Don't tell me you have armed nuclear weapons down there."

"Please don't tell us that." Nathan could hear Kristin whisper beside him.

Ortiz suddenly whirled in his seat. "Sir, torpedo in the water! Fired from that Akula. Target is the research lab."

Stacy's eyes went wide and Nathan shook two fingers at the vid'screen. "Doctor, Lieu, we'll call you back." Nathan muttered a few choice curses beneath his breath. "Those idiots. Destroying the facility will only spread the radiation."

"And cause an ecological disaster if those warheads explode," Kristin said as he whirled on weapons control. He didn't really need to hear something that he already knew.

"I'm going to hope those warheads aren't armed." Nathan answered quickly and then turned to Commander Ford. "Launch countermeasures on my mark. On forward screen, please."

Bridger waited a moment before issuing the command. "Fire."

A moment later the countermeasure was shot out of the belly of the seaQuest and racing toward the other side of the facility. Within moments, it impacted with the missile.

"Damage to the facility?"

"None, sir."

"Get me that Akula."

When the vid-screen popped on, Bridger walked right into the center of the bridge, fuming mad. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Protecting our interests, Captain."

"There are people alive down there."

"This is no longer any of your concern. Move away."

Westphalen moved to Bridger's side and for a moment, he was glad her vitriolic temper was not directed at him. "Do you know how much more radiation you will spread by destroying that facility? The explosion would cause enough turbulence to push the contaminants up into the main ocean current, and the plume would be carried toward your coast!"

"I have my orders. Move away." The screen flicked off.

"Stubborn son of a –" Bridger muttered but was interrupted by another cry from Ortiz.

"Two more torpedoes in the water, sir. One coming at us, one at the facility."

"Bloody hell," Bridger grunted his disapproval. "Countermeasures – now. Fire on that Akula, disabling shot only – target their weapons."

"Sound collision," Bridger ordered. He took Westphalen by the arms and pushed her into the captain's chair. "Sit," he said as he buckled her in and then gripped the back of the seat. When she reached up and gripped his hand, he returned the gesture with a small squeeze of his own.

"Countermeasures away. Torpedo away."

"On forward screen. Triangulated WSKR view. Mr. O'Neill, I want a channel open to UEO headquarters."

"Trying, sir. They're working together to jam us."

The first explosion had no impact as the torpedo ran headlong into the countermeasure a good distance away from the facility.

The second torpedo rocked the boat as the countermeasure took the destructive force of the blow away from seaQuest.

The third view showed the torpedo fired from seaQuest impacting with its target.

"Two carriers on the surface above us, sir. Telemetry reports hostile."

"You've got to be kidding me," Bridger muttered beneath his breath then glanced up at the fuzzy vid-screens. "Why is the communication equipment on my multi-million dollar submarine making like it's the 1940's? Get me a signal, O'Neill, I don't care how you do it. I'm not abandoning those people down there. And where's the launch?"

"Just docked, sir."

Bridger glanced at the doctor as she removed herself from his chair.

"On my way," she said without him even having to ask.

"Plot firing solution on all hostiles."

"Signal from the facility, sir."

"On screen." Bridger walked forward again.

Stacy Lieu's image appeared again. "Captain, we appreciate your attempts to protect us but it looks as if you're outnumbered."

"We'll figure it out, doctor." Bridger turned toward Lucas, who hadn't left when he was ordered. He'd talk to the teen about disobeying orders if they lived through this. "Get through that jamming. I need to talk to Noyce."

Lucas moved toward O'Neill and began to assist with communications.

Bridger turned back to the vid-screen as Lieu continued. "Captain, when I contacted the UEO, I'd already made my decision to turn our research and testing schematics over to you. It wasn't a decision that I'd made lightly and it cost the lives of some of my colleagues who disagreed with my choice. Can you receive?"

"We're working on that, Doctor, give us a bit more time."

"Captain," Lucas called. His fingers flew across the keyboard and when he glanced up he had a smug look on his face. "I've broken through just a bit of the jamming and stabilized a narrow data stream that should be fast enough for them to upload."

Bridger hurried toward Lucas and leaned down to whisper, "Make sure that file doesn't contain a virus."

Lucas nodded and Nathan waited until the teen gave him a sign that his request had been completed before returning his attention to the vid-screen. "Doctor, begin your transfer."

She touched the keyboard at her fingers and smiled. "Uploading now, captain."

O'Neill turned to Bridger. "Sir, lead carrier up world wants a word."

The captain rolled his eyes. "Let's hear their next threat. On screen, please."

"Good day, Captain Bridger," came the voice attached to a very haggard looking man.

"I wouldn't say that," Bridger muttered under his breath. Aloud he said, "What can I do for you?"

"We are sending a team to retrieve our scientists. I would appreciate you moving your vessel away from the area."

Nathan could hear the strain in the carrier captain's voice. It was a struggle for him to remain calm, polite. "You won't get within twenty-five feet before your crew is fried from the inside out."

"Don't threaten me, Captain." Bridger knew it wouldn't take long for him to lose his temper. People in the wrong always did. "We have the advantage here."

"I won't need to lift a finger if you send a rescue team down there. The place is crawling with radiation."

The carrier captain glanced off to the side for a moment while Bridger continued. "Those reports are false. We did not call for UEO aid and I will not ask you again to move your vessel out of the area."

"If you have nothing to hide, just why have the surviving scientists locked themselves in a steel chamber five feet thick?"

Nathan glanced around the room and muttered, "This is where he ignores my question and issues a threat in its place."

"You would sink to the bottom of the sea like a lifeless squid, Captain, if we were to fire on you."

"Transmission complete, Captain!" An exuberant Lucas called from the seat beside O'Neill.

Bridger grinned smugly. "Well, now that we have all of the research data from that facility, I guess we'll be quite the target, hmm?" He nodded sharply to O'Neill, who quickly cut the vid connection.

"This is about to become even messier, folks. O'Neill, try e-band. We've got to get through to UEO headquarters." Nathan moved toward the console and lay his hand atop it. An automatic voice recognition system activated.

"Identity confirmed. United Earth Oceans Signal Core emergency band engaged."

Nathan stood and quickly marched toward the center of the room where he waited expectantly for the vid-screen to connect him to UEO headquarters. "Bounce the signal off whatever you can to keep it connected."

"Tracing signals on the surface ships, sir. Going to try and piggyback off them. Might not work for long."

"Do what you can, Mr. O'Neill."

Though the wait was mere seconds, it felt like hours. Bridger paced a few steps before he heard O'Neill's exuberant cry.

"I've got Admiral Noyce for you, sir!"

An agitated Secretary General of the UEO appeared in front of him. "Nathan, what's going on down there? We've been trying to reach you."

"Bill, I don't know how long we're going to have a connection so let me make this fast. We've got an armada of subs and carriers coming at us and that facility. They know they've been caught red-handed and aren't giving this place up without a fight."

"We've got help coming, Nathan, hold them off."

Bridger stared at the screen for a moment. "SeaQuest is one hell of a boat, Bill, but not that good. We've also got a log of the scientists work. It should prove what the Confederation is trying to deny."

"We need that information, Nathan. Get out of there."

Bridger shook his head. "Bill, I'm obligated to render assistance. If we run, we're abandoning those people trapped in the research center."

The vid-screen flickered and then blinked off completely.

"Damn!" Nathan turned to Lucas. "Can you make a copy of that transmission we received from the facility?"

Lucas was confused. "Yes. But if I can't uplink it -"

"You're not going to uplink it. You're going to send it with Darwin back into international waters."

"I'm – what?" The look of disbelief on the teen's face would have made Nathan laugh if this wasn't such a dire situation.

"Make two copies. Put one in a waterproof container and stuff it into the pocket in Darwin's aqua-lung." The urgency in Bridger's voice was not lost on the teen. "You keep the other and then you get yourself into a launch and follow him."

TBC


	3. Act II

**ACT II**

Lucas stared at him and Nathan recognized the stubborn set of his jaw and eyes. "I'm not leaving."

"If this ship goes down protecting those people, you are not going down with it." The finality in Bridger's voice made the boy hesitate for a moment. He moved closer, put both hands on Lucas' shoulders and leaned close. "Just obey this one request, please."

"I can't leave you."

"You can. And you will." Nathan gave the boy a quick, tight hug. "Go now." He looked around the bridge and nodded to O'Neill. "Give me ship wide."

"On, sir."

"Attention, this is the Captain. I want all non-essential personnel to the launches. You are abandoning ship. Repeat, you are abandoning seaQuest."

Bridger noticed Lucas hadn't moved and directed two members of the bridge crew headed to a launch to escort the teen off the bridge.

"Sir, torpedoes in the water again!"

Bridger watched Lucas go for a split second before turning back to look at the forward vid-screen. "Position us in front of that facility and load countermeasures."

"We don't have enough, sir."

"We'd better make the ones we do have count, then." Nathan said quickly. "Flood all tubes, plot firing solution and target all hostile vessels. Countermeasures on screen. Launch on my mark."

He took a moment to look around the room at all the anxious faces. This looked like a no win situation. They were simply outnumbered. If they came out of this unscathed, it would be a miracle.

"ETA on first torpedo is 30 seconds, sir."

"Give us enough time to get everyone into the launches, Mr. Shan." Bridger said to his helm chief. "Weapons control, counter them in order of impact."

"Aye, sir."

"Incoming torpedoes, on screen, please." Bridger stared at the little red dots moving quickly toward the center of the screen toward this boat he'd spent so much of his life designing. "Helm, lift up our nose five degrees and move forward one quarter. Let's see if we can get a few of them to hit us before they arm themselves."

"What about the facility, captain?"

"Currently, they're all aiming at us." Nathan responded with a relieved sigh. "And with luck, our return fire will take out their weapons so that they won't be able to target the facility."

"Impact will be close on a few of these, sir."

"Close I can deal with. A hit. That would be a bit more painful." Bridger raised his hand and glanced over at the targeting solution up on the side vid-screen. "Weapons control, fire at all targets."

Nathan took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He'd designed seaQuest to be the most powerful boat under the sea, but never in his life did he ever think that he would be using every ounce of her firepower to keep himself alive inside of it.

* * *

Westphalen looked up from where she was currently looking over Jonathan Ford.

"Evacuate?"

Ford moved to stand from the bed he was currently sitting on. "I need to get to the bridge."

"You need to sit your bloody ass on this bed until I give you permission to get up."

Ford exchanged a shocked look with Crocker. "Doctor –"

"You've been exposed to radiation. You're going to sit here until I'm comfortable that you can do your job and not contaminate any other members of this crew."

"The captain –"

"Is perfectly capable of handling a crisis on his own, Commander," Westphalen snapped. But in truth, she was worried. Nathan was a capable commander. A humanitarian one. It wasn't common to find such a high ranking military officer with a conscience. And she wouldn't be surprised to find that he was willing to defend those people trapped in that facility with his life.

Overhead, the alarm klaxon began to flash red. Westphalen turned to her colleague, Dr. Levin. "Get your team to the launches. I want you off this boat."

"Doctor –"

"I can treat these people, Joshua. We're almost done. Now go."

"You need to be on that launch, too, Doctor," Crocker stood and removed the patch from his arm. It hadn't turned black yet, so there was no danger from radiation poisoning.

Kristin cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. "And who will treat you when our Captain tries to use this ship as a torpedo incubator? I'm not leaving."

The captain's voice came over the speaker. "All hands, prepare for collision."

Kristin had no time to think or move before Ford had leaped off the bed and, together with Crocker, dragged her toward a console in the corner of the room.

"Commander –"

"He'd never forgive me if something happened to you," Ford said as the first torpedo impacted with the hull and tossed them all off their feet.

* * *

The boat vibrated with the impact of so many warheads detonating close to the hull. When the first one got through, seaQuest lurched so sharply to one side that it nearly knocked everyone out of their seats.

"Torpedoes depleted, sir!" came the cry from weapons control.

"Arm forward lasers and shoot those incoming missiles out of the water."

"Automatic targeting is offline!"

"Manual, then, track it by eye." Bridger snapped. "What's the status on our torpedoes?"

"Hit all marks, sir. We've knocked out every ship's ability to fire."

Bridger released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Good."

"Not so good, sir," Ortiz corrected. "Two more carriers have appeared on sonar. Approaching fast."

Bridger groaned. "We need to stall them, give our launches a chance to get as far away as possible. Get me one of their captains."

O'Neil nodded. "Trying, sir. They're ignoring us."

"Transmission coming in from the facility, sir!" O'Neil called over his shoulder.

"On screen." Nathan set his jaw and glanced up as Stacy's haggard face blinked into view.

"Captain, please. Do not sacrifice your ship for us." The screen flickered but the picture remained.

Hitchcock glanced up at Bridger. "We're taking on water sir. Aft decks three, four and five."

"Seal those decks, Commander," the captain ordered before turning back to the image on the screen.

Nathan stepped forward. "Doctor, that radiation you're leaking will spread exponentially if your facility is destroyed."

"We've contained the spill, Captain."

"That doesn't erase the fact that whatever has spilled so far will be pushed into the oceans currents and cause an ecological disaster," Doctor Westphalen said as she walked onto the bridge with Ford and Crocker.

"What would you have us do, then? Risk your ship and your lives?" The more time that passed, the sicker she looked. She more than likely _contained_ that leak herself.

"Over thousands of plants, animals and humans?" Westphalen's voice took on a disbelieving tone.

Nathan felt Kristin's eyes on him and he nodded his approval of her statement.

"Yes."

"We've evacuated this ship, doctor. Only a handful of my crew remain." Nathan wasn't sure how explaining that might help his case, but he had to try. He couldn't let this happen.

"I'm sorry, Captain." The woman was clearly distraught and having trouble concentrating. With each moment that passed, she got weaker. Whatever they'd been doing while he was busy dodging torpedoes had clearly exposed them to a high level of radiation.

Nathan whirled to his left. "Helm, move us forward into the path of those torpedoes. Don't let them hit that facility."

A moment of shock passed across the faces of everyone on the bridge, before helm called out a confirmation of the order.

"Weapons control, use forward lasers to target incoming missiles."

"Some may get through, sir!" Hitchcock called from her station.

"So long as they hit only us, Commander."

The vid-screen lost connection with the facility and all of a sudden there was no whine of an incoming missile, no creaking and groaning as a warhead detonated against seaQuest's state-of-the-art bio skin. Only the alarm klaxons indicating their battle-ready state could be heard echoing through the bridge.

"Captain, five torpedoes in the water. All aimed at the facility."

"On forward screen, please."

The vid-screen blinked on in time to see a laser burst shoot the two leading missiles out of the water.

The next two came closer, but were also destroyed before impact. The last one took out a strut holding up the facility.

"Captain," Ortiz called. "They're taking on water over there."

"Damnit!"

"Captain, incoming call. Two, actually." The images on the screen split to reveal a red-faced asian man in his middle fifties shouting at him in Mandarin and a wide-eyed Secretary General Noyce.

"Nathan, what the hell are you doing? Get seaQuest out of there!"

"The radiation will spread if they destroy that facility, Bill."

"I have assurances from the worlds leading scientists that it will dissipate the further it travels from ground zero. Our ships are not close enough to stop them, Nathan."

"Bill –"

"Once they destroy you, they'll move on to that facility, Nathan. You're not going to give up your lives and a billion dollar ship for nothing. I know you're not fond of following my orders, but follow this one, damnit!"

"Four more torpedoes in the water, sir!"

The vid-screen flickered and the images faded as the communication signal was cut.

Nathan stared hard at the dark screen and huffed in annoyance. "Helm reverse engines. Full torque. Get us away as fast as you can. If we get caught in the blast radiance, it won't be pretty."

Bridger moved toward the open moon pool and pulled down the control that would seal the water inside.

Bridger's gaze settled on a very clearly angry Doctor Westphalen who was still staring at the screen. When she turned to him, her voice was soft, resigned. "You did everything you could."

Bridger nodded and walked back toward the helm. Westphalen stopped at his side. Ford and Crocker came up on the other.

"Distance?" the captain asked.

'One thousand kilometers and climbing, sir."

"Back us up faster, Mr. Shan." Bridger turned toward Ortiz. "How close are they?"

"Impact in 10 seconds, sir."

"Sound collision." Bridger took Kristin by the elbow and led her to his station. He put her between him and the chair and closed his hands around hers as they gripped the back. "Pull back your WSKR's and count it down for us, Mr. Ortiz."

"WSKR's bow-locked, sir. And we're at - nine . . . eight . . . seven. . ."

Ford and Crocker went separate ways, each finding a sturdy piece of equipment to hold.

"Six . . . five . . . four. . ."

Chief Shan positioned himself between his helmsmen and held on. O'Neill gripped his console so tight his fingers turned white. Ortiz held on as he continued to count.

"Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

"Shield your eyes, everyone. If there's even a possibility of one of those nukes going off, you'll be blinded if you look at it." Bridger said as he dropped his head, not quite touching Westphalen's shoulder. He could feel her squeeze his hands and he forced a shaky smile to his lips when she arched her neck to look at him.

Bridger didn't need to be able to read minds to understand the message in her eyes. He tightened his hands around hers and pulled her back against him ever so slightly. He'd protect her with every ounce of his ability if he needed to.

But then there was a bright flash followed by an eerie few seconds of silence.

"Damn," the captain muttered and could feel Kristin grip his hands tightly. It hadn't been a large explosion but he could already feel that change in water pressure.

Nathan kept his hands wrapped tightly around Kristin's and whispered, "That's not it." He could feel her nod in understanding.

"Do you think they're far enough away?" Kristin asked, her voice barely audible over the screaming of the engines.

"Darwin, Lucas and the others?" He asked, and she nodded. "I hope so."

The boat began to shake, and without glancing up, he shouted, "Brace for concussion wave."

"It'll probably knock out propulsion," Ford said as he glanced over at Hitchcock and then amended, "If we're lucky it will only knock out propulsion."

"We may not be far enough away for the bio hull to reflect the radiation," Westphalen said. "High density water will transmit the blast wave further and faster."

"Distance and depth?" Nathan called, but before anyone could give him an answer, SeaQuest shook violently as the first powerful concussion wave struck the hull. Anyone not strapped in was forced off their feet, including the captain and doctor.

Nathan held tightly to Kristin as he was thrown backward against the moon pool. Kristin landed with her back against his chest and with a wince, his arms came down tightly around her to hold her in place.

"Stabilizers at full!" Bridger cried over the roaring in his ears. The sound was deafening and he tried as best he could to cover Kristin's ears and head.

The lights flickered and then went out. The backups cast a reddish hue over the walls when they kicked in. Static jumbled the radios and consoles crackled as their circuits were fried.

The ship continued to rock as each concussion wave struck the hull.

TBC


	4. Act III

**ACT III**

"Hull breach, sir!" Hitchcock called from where she was strapped into her station. "Fore decks ten and eleven."

"Seal it off, Commander!" Bridger called. He couldn't get up and he wouldn't risk letting go of the woman in his arms until his boat stopped shaking like a little dinghy in a hurricane.

He could feel the whirring beneath him grind to a halt and he knew they'd just lost propulsion. Even with state-of-the-art equipment installed in the engine room, he could always feel its silent hum.

"Sir, propulsion is offline!"

"Navigation is dark!"

"Communications offline," Ortiz continued the litany of news Bridger didn't really want to hear. "Lost _Mother_ in that last blast, too. Ripped her right from the tether."

"Weapons?!" Bridger called over Kristin's shoulder.

"Console is dark, sir!" came the expected answer.

"Redundant systems should kick in at any moment," Ford said as he pulled himself upright.

"Blow ballasts if you can. Take us to the surface." Bridger glanced down at Kristin when she looked up at him, eyes wide. "You ok?"

She nodded slowly and tightened her arms around him for just a quick moment. He returned the gesture with a gentle reassuring squeeze before whispering, "We're not dead yet."

The ship rocked again, not as sharply this time. Lights flickered back on and so did a few consoles as the redundant systems kicked in.

"Blowing ballasts, captain!"

"Propulsion still down," Hitchcock called.

Crocker hurried over to Bridger and helped pull Kristin to her feet which allowed Nathan to grip the side of the moon pool and haul himself up. He glanced at Crocker for a moment and nodded his appreciation before moving forward.

"Status?" He winced as bruised muscles pulled with each movement.

"We're rising, sir."

"As soon as you can get out a communication, O'Neill, do it. I expect to be met with hostiles as soon as we reach the surface."

They could feel the undulation of the waves as the massive sub came to rest on the top of the water. Immediately, O'Neill's console beeped to life.

"Sir, we're being ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded."

"All we have left to fire are nuclear missiles and I'll sink seaQuest myself before I let those people board this boat." Nathan turned toward helm control. "We past the 12 mile mark yet?"

"Far past it, sir."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the captain for a moment. Bridger pulled himself to his full height and straightened his jumpsuit.

"Get me their lead vessel."

The vid-screen popped on, albeit a bit fuzzy.

"Captain Bridger. You are hereby ordered to stand down and surrender your vessel."

"We are not prepared to fire on you, Captain. I will, however, not allow you to board my boat."

The enemy captain's demeanor didn't waver. "You have fired on our research facility after they called to you for aid. That is an act of war, Captain and as such, you _will_ surrender your ship to us."

Everyone's eyes widened but Bridger raised his hand. Clearly this captain had a very short memory. "You know damn well we didn't fire on that facility. You did."

"You have two minutes to comply or we will begin firing."

The vid-screen blinked off and Ford came to stand beside Bridger, disbelief written all over his face. "Short term memory loss?"

"Covering his government's ass, more like. Destroy us and there is no one to tell the UEO what happened here."

"Only an ecological disaster the likes of which they've probably never seen if that radiation doesn't dissipate to manageable levels before the currents carry it out of the area," Westphalen said as she approached, a small med kit in her hands.

Bridger frowned at her when she lifted his bloodied hand and began to wipe a stinging antiseptic over the cuts.

"We've got to get teams out there to monitor radiation levels." Nathan winced as the liquid touched his hand. "This could get very bad, very quickly."

"We're in International waters now, sir." Hitchcock watched him from her console. "They have no legal right to board seaQuest."

"We know that. I'm sure _he_ knows that." Nathan winced again as he tried to walk forward but strained muscles combined with the doctor's minisatrations made it more difficult than he would have liked.

Hitchcock rolled her eyes and set her jawn. "But they're going to try anyway."

"What do you want to do about the surrender order, sir?" Ford asked, coming to stand beside his commanding officer.

Nathan set his jaw. "I plan to tell him just what he can do with his demand, Commander." He turned to O'Neill. "I don't suppose there's any chance you can get me UEO headquarters?"

"Only short range communications are operative, sir."

Nathan angrily pumped his free hand in the air. "Damnit, Bill said he was sending ships. Did they stop to sightsee along the way!?"

"Nathan, we've got to let the UEO know about the radiation. Warn them to keep a good distance away from that facility," Kristin said, lines of worry creasing her eyes.

Bridger nodded his agreement. "O'Neill, keep transmitting, and add Doctor Westphalen's message as well."

The vid-screen blinked on to reveal the stern face of the surface carrier captain.

"Time is up, captain."

"That was a short two minutes," Nathan muttered beneath his breath before turning his full attention on the screen in front of him. "I will not allow my boat to be boarded."

"Then we will sink you," came the angry response.

Hitchcock shared a steely look with Ford and the rest of the crew took another look at one another before settling their eyes on the captain.

Bridger knew what they were thinking. But he would not fire a nuclear warhead at any of those ships. The damage it would cause, both ecologically and in casualties would be far worse than the deaths of the skeleton crew left on board seaQuest.

The vid-screen flickered and the usually annoying bulk of Secretary General William Noyce appeared on the screen.

Bridger's eyes widened. "Bill! Man are you a sight for sore eyes!"

"Good to see you, too, Nathan. We've got boats coming up on your flank. They won't get a shot off at you." Noyce turned to one of his staff. "Put me on wide-band."

Nathan smiled as Noyce straightened his shoulders and put on his most professional, angry face. Suddenly, the vid-screen flickered to view only and Noyce stared right into the center of it.

"Attention, hostile vessels preparing to open fire on seaQuest. This is UEO Secretary General William Noyce. You are hereby ordered to stand down. If you fire on that ship –"

"Boat," Bridger muttered under his breath. "It's a boat, Bill." Only doctor Westphalen was close enough to hear and she shot him an amused smile.

"- it will be considered an act of war. You have already caused an international incident here today. I suggest you don't cause another. Vessels are en-route to lend aid to seaQuest. Do not interfere. I repeat, do not interfere or you will be fired upon."

Bridger relaxed his hand as the doctor continued to swab and bandage it. He smiled at her and then let his eyes slip closed when she reached out to clean the cut on his forehead.

"Sir," O'Neill chimed in as he's eyes scanned his controls. "UEO carriers in the water and jets overhead." He smiled in awed relief as the approaching aircraft appeared on the vid-screen. "The Secretary General wasn't kidding about that support."

Bridger pursed his lips and sighed. "Too bad it came just a bit too late for those scientists."

Westphalen touched his shoulder gently, a sympathetic look on her face. "You can't save everyone, Nathan."

He met her eyes and gently squeezed her hand. "I suppose not, but I can damn well try." He looked over at his communication's officer. "Did they get the message about the radiation?"

"Yes, sir. They're sending teams to monitor the levels." O'Neill tapped his headset and turned around. "Sir, launches are a few miles out requesting permission to return."

Bridger turned to Hitchcock. "Damage to the launch bay?"

"Minimal. It's safe, sir."

"Check the radiation level in the water."

"Already on it, sir." After a few moments of frantic tapping, Hitchcock looked up again. "We're far enough out of the blast radius and the current is flowing away from us. Exposure is minimal."

"Then let's get our people back."

O'Neill pressed his headset into his ear. "General Thomas on the line for you, sir."

They all turned their attention forward. "On front vid-screen if you please, Mr. O'Neill."

Thomas, commander of the rescue fleet, was holding up a small canister that Nathan recognized as being part of Darwin's aqua-breather. Nathan exhaled a sigh of relief. "We got your special delivery, Captain. Well done."

Bridger smiled. "Well, if we found ourselves sacrificed to the sea, I wanted to make sure you got that report."

"Your dolphin will be sent back when we've cleared irradiated waters."

Nathan's eyes widened in concern. "Is he ok?"

"He's fine. We'll have a team look him over before we send him back."

"Thank you, General."

The screen winked off and Bridger's shoulders sagged as the tension flowed out of them.

"You did good today, Captain."

He smiled when he felt the Doctor's presence beside him. Around them, crews continued to work on inoperable stations. The flurry of activity went on without him having to give a single order.

Nathan took her by the arm and led her back to the moon pool. "We were lucky today."

He didn't miss the concerned look in her eyes. "How lucky, we won't know for a while yet."

"They're still testing?"

Westphalen nodded. "The gradient current is close to the surface in this part of the ocean, so that may help slow the spread of the radiation. The less dense the water pressure, the less quickly it will spread too far to contain."

"It's a miracle this happened in a chunk of ocean known for its lack of strong currents." He glanced down when she slid her hand around his forearm.

"Why don't you go to the Ward Room and rest for a bit." He followed her eyes as she looked around the bridge. "It looks as if they've got everything covered here for the time being."

He began to protest but she lowered her chin and gave him a stern look. "I could force you to med bay for an exam, you know."

Nathan scowled at her.

"You hit the deck pretty hard. I'm sure there are a lot of bruised muscles and other injuries I could find that would –"

"Ok, Ok." He threw up his hands in defeat.

He desperately wished he could think of a way to wipe that triumphant look off her face.

"I'll be by to check on you later." With a warm smile, she gently squeezed his arm.

His eyes were inadvertently drawn to her backside when she walked away to check on the rest of the bridge crew.

Ford appeared beside him, nodding appreciatively. "Good compromise, sir."

"The only compromise besides throwing her off my bridge, you mean," Nathan muttered, eyes still following her as she checked O'Neill and Ortiz for injuries.

Ford chuckled. "Well, sir, if there ever comes a day when you're going to do that, please make sure I'm here to see it."

Nathan laughed and clasped Ford on the shoulder. The motion immediately pulled a strained muscle and he winced.

"Go sit down and rest," Ford said, concern in his eyes. "I'll call if I need you."

* * *

Westphalen didn't knock before she entered the Ward Room, a tray of food in her hand. She scowled when she noticed the captain hunched over a screen at one end of the long table.

She cleared her throat and set the tray down loudly. "What do you think you're doing?"

She rolled her eyes at the surprised look on his face. She lifted the papers and swiveled the small screen so that she could look at it. "Is this what you call rest?"

"I'm keeping tabs on the cleanup."

Her demeanor softened a bit. She'd been doing the same thing when she wasn't treating the injured. "There are people to do that, Nathan."

He leaned back in his chair with a wince and she sank into the one beside him. She could read the sad look on his face. "You did everything you could, you realize that, right?"

"Yes." He rubbed a hand over his face. "Just – any loss of life is – such a waste."

Her hand came down over his and she squeezed it gently.

"Those scientists didn't need to die."

"Maybe they did."

The shocked look on his face when his eyes snapped toward hers made her quickly raise her hand to explain. "Nathan, you're a scientist as well as a military man. You know the mindset of these people. They were experimenting with nuclear power. Only the most dedicated people work with those kinds of materials."

"Your point, Doctor?"

"My point is that once the spill happened, and they became sick, they got a first hand look at the kind of damage their work could really inflict on others."

She was relieved when she saw him nod in understanding. "Someone had an attack of conscience."

"I think so. That's why they sent out the distress call."

"And they felt if they told someone about what they were doing, that it would vilify them." Nathan shook his head.

"Probably not to a large extent, but, yes. They knew they were going to die anyway."

The vid-screen popped on and Kristin removed her hand from Nathan's. Commander Ford's face filled the screen. Work continued behind him but his attention was fully on the occupants of the room.

"Captain, our launches have returned. We're just waiting on Darwin."

"Repairs?"

"Slow going. We'll need to dry dock to complete the most serious."

"How long until we're underway?"

"A few hours until we can get main propulsion online. It may take us days to get back to Pearl."

Kristin scanned the two men as they spoke. They were similar, yet different. Ford tended to be a very by the book military man, and that irritated her to no end. Bridger, on the other hand was a combination of both. Not necessarily a good thing in her book either, but she found it much easier to talk with him, enjoyed it probably far too much, even. He understood her position and her job and gave her team many a concession when it came to her research.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard Nathan chuckle. "Well then, why don't we ask General Thomas for a Navy escort back to Pearl?"

Kristin would have laughed at the look of horror on Ford's face if he hadn't been looking right at her.

"Sir –"

"Oh, let them have the glory for a change, Commander. It isn't every day that the most powerful boat in the ocean needs help."

Ford frowned and she could see the amused twinkle in Nathan's eyes.

"Yes, sir." The vid-screen flickered off and Kristin turned to the captain.

Kristin's eyes searched his face. Took in the amusement and twinkling eyes. "You took far too much pleasure in that."

Nathan chuckled. "Well, if I didn't, he'd have seen through my act."

Kristin stood and shook her head. "You military men need to check your egos some days, you know that?"

The smile this time reached his eyes. "It's one of my many faults, Doctor. I'm working on it." He held out his arm and she slid her hand around it.

"Oh? What others are you working on?" Her own eyes twinkled as she asked the question.

He chuckled and closed his free hand over the one that rested on his arm. "I'll make you a list."

"We'll have to have dinner sometime soon to go over it," Kristin suggested with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile. "I'm sure it will be a very long list."

* * *

Kristin had released his arm as soon as they'd left the Ward Room, but he didn't have time to dwell on the loss.

Lucas was waiting for him and he immediately pulled the teen into a tight embrace.

"Good to have you back, kiddo."

"Darwin should be back any time, now."

They walked toward the moon pool. "Pressurize outside doors and let Darwin back in." He turned the crank and the dome rolled back to reveal the pool.

He dipped his uninjured hand into the water and began to tap the water. "Come on boy. Where are you?"

Nathan noticed the sheepish look on Lucas' face.

The teen shrugged. "They kinda fed him a lot while he was delivering his cargo. I'm sure he's moving slower than normal."

"Ahh, the way to a dolphin's heart is through his stomach," Kristin drawled. She glanced at Nathan and then Lucas and continued, "How typically male of him."

Nathan laughed heartily and exchanged an understanding look with Kristin before turning his attention back to the moon pool.

"We're all set to get underway, Captain."

Nathan acknowledged the announcement with a nod of his head. He continued to tap the water and before too much longer, the familiar swoop of a grey flipper could be seen swimming toward them. When Darwin's head popped out of the water, Lucas flipped on the vo-coder that allowed man to understand dolphin.

"Darwin heavy. Tired."

Doctor Westphalen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I rest my case."

"Fish good."

Nathan laughed again and reached out to rub Darwin's long, upturned nose. "Welcome home, old friend." He righted himself while Lucas and Kristin bent down to take his place. "Mr. O'Neill, kindly tell our escort that all crew are accounted for and we're ready to get underway."

"Aye sir."

Nathan glanced once more at Kristin bending over the moon pool. He smiled as he watched her talk with Lucas and Darwin and then sank gingerly into his chair. "Mr. Shan, give me your best speed toward home port."

"Aye, sir."

Apparently, a miracle wasn't out of the question for the day after all.

END

* * *

Wolfcastle – Well, they kind of were in one first season episode. So I figured I'd explore that a bit. Thanks for the review!

mayoroscommon - I thought it would be interesting if the baddie in this story actually happened to be a member of the UEO. Because, really, don't tell me just because a country is a member of the UN, that they aren't doing a little illegal business on the side . . . I think it worked out well for the story. But readers may have another opinion! Thank you for catching the name mistake. It's been corrected! Glad you liked what you've read so far and thanks for commenting!

BlueEyedBrigadier – You're such a dedicated reviewer! And of course, a little wound here, a hull breach there, all makes for an exciting story! You rarely see anyone really hurt and in the medical bay, so that's something I like to write though I haven't done to much of it. Thanks for commenting and hopefully the ending was as satisfying as the rest of the story.

CoraRodney – Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story. If something didn't work, please feel free to comment on it!


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